The Washington Commanders' season could hang in the balance on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Head coach Dan Quinn officially ruled out star quarterback Jayden Daniels as he continues to recover from a knee sprain. Backup Marcus Mariota will take charge under center with the team attempting to avoid going sub-.500 after three games.
Washington got handled by the Green Bay Packers, now seen as a heavy NFC title contender, during Thursday Night Football in Week 2 and that was with Daniels at the helm. Las Vegas is certainly not Green Bay, but the Commanders need to handle business at home against an inferior squad or risk digging themselves into a tough hole.
Commanders' schedule doesn't get easier from here
Their next two games feature the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers, both squads that look primed to challenge for their respective division crowns. There's a real chance Washington winds up 1-4 entering Week 5 even if Daniels returns after this week.
Sunday's matchup with the Raiders is going to be an inflection point and perhaps a buffer if Washington drops even one of its next two games following Sunday.
Mariota will shoulder the burden Sunday having last started a game for Washington at the end of last season when the team had already clinched a playoff spot. He threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
Marcus Mariota could make or break the Commanders' playoff chances in Week 3
The Commanders' offense revolves around Daniels. That's undeniable. Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury are going to have to turn to their alternative playbook with Mariota but this time there's not much breathing room with a playoff spot already clinched.
Las Vegas won't be a pushover but they are certainly a team that Washington should beat even with Mariota at QB. He'll need weapons like WR Terry McLaurin to step up big time as the run game will likely be a committee of backs after starter Austin Ekeler went down for the season with injury.
A loss to the Raiders would send Washington to 1-2 and create some serious doubts about how sustainable their success from last season really is. If Daniels is the only consistent player on offense, it's going to be difficult to justify putting him in tight positions with his legs if he's already suffered an early injury.
The rest of the NFC East seems to have caught up with Washington too. Despite beating the New York Giants, Washington's offense struggled to really dominate and the season-opener between Philadelphia and Dallas showed they've still got some firepower on defense to reckon with. McLaurin's services and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt will be critical to forcing defenses to focus elsewhere than just Daniels.
Washington cannot afford to turn Daniels into another Robert Griffin III. That doesn't mean turn him into a pocket passer only but rushing him back from a knee injury and throwing him back into his scrambling style of play could spell disaster. It's a cycle the Commanders have to break if they want to keep a generational QB under center for longer than just a few seasons. The Commanders may be well ahead of schedule in their rebuild but sometimes immediate success can make growing pains look like regression.
Mariota will be facing a lot of pressure in Week 3 and Commanders fans will be hoping he can deliver.